Saturday, February 26, 2011

Where buying sex is illegal: The Nordic Model. (Русская версия)

“It’s not fun going to Sweden, prostitution is illegal” men say.“Well, we will fix the world the way, that men can’t go anywhere for that purpose” says Angela Beausang, the head of “Roks” NGO (National Association of Women's and Young Women's Shelters: http://www.kvinnojour.com), an activist and pioneer in criminalization of prostitution in Sweden. Everything started with this NGO founded in 1984, which was concerned in the lack of the law protecting women’s rights. Later on this Swedish model was adopted by Norway and Iceland, and presently is known as Nordic Model of prohibiting sexual purchase. “The flood goes down from the North, and will embrace the whole Europe soon” says the head of the NGO. 2000 men have been apprehended in Sweden since the ban on sex purchase in 1999. A man caught in prostitution is fined based on income (in Norway 2500-4000 $) or imprisoned of 6 months. Men prefer to be fined. Swedish police reports decrease in the number of men purchasing sexual services 13.6% in 1996 and 7.8% in 2000.

In Norway too the criminalisation of prostitution started with the active struggle of “Women’s Front” NGO (http://www.kvinnefronten.no) passing the law through the Supreme Court. Icelandic NGO Stigamot (http://www.stigamot.is) followed this example by forcing the government and media to close erotic clubs and shops promoting wild nightlife and prostitution.

According to World Economic Forum 2009 Sweden, Norway and Iceland live in gender equality paradise. “But this is a paper paradise” says Gudrun Jonsdottir the head of Stigamot NGO. Women still have 2/3 of men salary. However, the women in these three countries don’t fully rely on the law enforcement against prostitution. “Men will buy women as long as they want. We need to raise consciousness and educate women not to go there, and if they find themselves in that situation they need to have social and public support” says Agnete Storn the head of“Women’s Front”NGO.

Besides the importance of the topic discussed and the passion that these women were expressing and transmitting to their audience, I was greatly impressed by the fact that an NGO could stand for women’s rights, withstand all power barriers and succeed in passing a law to protect women. The criminalisation of prostitution states that prostitution is violence against women. To my viewpoint this is a bit strict definition. I see prostitution as a multidimensional social phenomenon, where the lines of forced and voluntary, lack of awareness and means for survival are quite blurred. More importunately, men’s perspective and definition of this need are critical but absent points here. I believe that in dealing with prostitution education and consciousness raising both for boys and girls, men and women are the first steps to be taken.